It can also be called the Flavian Amphitheater. The Colosseum is in the middle of Rome,. It is built out of concrete and stone. This was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire. The theater is the largest one in the world. The Colosseum was constructed when the emperor Vespasin was in rule in 70AD. It was finished in 80AD under the successor Titus who was Vespasins heir. The amphitheater was named in Latin for is being associated with their family name (Flavius).
The Colosseum could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people. This was used for gladiatorial contest. The gladiatorial shows were called munera. The shows were given by individuals. They had strong religious element but it showed power and they were very popular with the people. Another popular show was called the animal hunt. This had a variety of wild beast such as elephants, giraffes, panthers, and etc. This show was also hugely popular with everyone. They had re-enactment of battles there. There was also dramas on classical. The early uses of it were for entertainment in the medieval era. Later it was used for housing, workshops, religion order, quarry, and Christian shrine. In the early years the Colosseum was used for sea battles. They filled the Colosseum with water and they would re-enacted very famous sea battles between the Greeks and the Corinthians.
Physical Appearance
The Colosseum is an entirely freestanding structure.The outer wall is estimated to be about 100,000 cubic meters. It has travertine stone set on the outer mortar. They were held together with 300 tons of iron clamps. It has gone through multiple earthquakes. The north side of the perimeter wall is the only one still standing. The originalwall is still standing to this day.
The amphitheater has 80 entrances at ground level. Each entrances and exits are numbered around the theater and so was every staircase. The north main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor. For the other three entrances were used for the elites. All of the four entrances were decorated with stucco reliefs, and some of the fragments still are on the entrances today. A lot of the original outer entrances have collapse with the perimeter wall.
Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats through passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind.
The Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 people, although modern estimates put the figure at around 50,000. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor, providing the best views of the arena. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use. The non-senatorial noble class or knights occupied the tier above the senators, known as the maenianum primum. The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups. Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domintan This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. It would have been either standing room only, or would have had very steep wooden benches. Some groups were banned altogether from the Colosseum, notably gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.
The Colosseum today- The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for citizens of the European Union is partially subsidized, and entrance is free for European Union citizens under eighteen or over sixty-five years of age. There is now a museum dedicated to Eroslocated in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.
The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI led the Stations of the Cross called the Scriptural Way of the Cross (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum on Good Friday.
The Colosseum is today is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration program carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire.
Because of the ruined state of the interior, it is impractical to use the Colosseum to host large events; only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated in temporary seating. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2002), Paul McCartney (May 2003), Elton John (September 2005),and Billy Joel (July 2006).
The Colosseum
It can also be called the Flavian Amphitheater. The Colosseum is in the middle of Rome,. It is built out of concrete and stone. This was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire. The theater is the largest one in the world. The Colosseum was constructed when the emperor Vespasin was in rule in 70AD. It was finished in 80AD under the successor Titus who was Vespasins heir. The amphitheater was named in Latin for is being associated with their family name (Flavius).The Colosseum could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people. This was used for gladiatorial contest. The gladiatorial shows were called munera. The shows were given by individuals. They had strong religious element but it showed power and they were very popular with the people. Another popular show was called the animal hunt. This had a variety of wild beast such as elephants, giraffes, panthers, and etc. This show was also hugely popular with everyone. They had re-enactment of battles there. There was also dramas on classical. The early uses of it were for entertainment in the medieval era. Later it was used for housing, workshops, religion order, quarry, and Christian shrine. In the early years the Colosseum was used for sea battles. They filled the Colosseum with water and they would re-enacted very famous sea battles between the Greeks and the Corinthians.
Physical Appearance
The Colosseum is an entirely freestanding structure.The outer wall is estimated to be about 100,000 cubic meters. It has travertine stone set on the outer mortar. They were held together with 300 tons of iron clamps. It has gone through multiple earthquakes. The north side of the perimeter wall is the only one still standing. The originalwall is still standing to this day.The amphitheater has 80 entrances at ground level. Each entrances and exits are numbered around the theater and so was every staircase. The north main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor. For the other three entrances were used for the elites. All of the four entrances were decorated with stucco reliefs, and some of the fragments still are on the entrances today. A lot of the original outer entrances have collapse with the perimeter wall.
Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats through passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind.
The Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 people, although modern estimates put the figure at around 50,000. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor, providing the best views of the arena. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use. The non-senatorial noble class or knights occupied the tier above the senators, known as the maenianum primum. The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups.
Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domintan This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. It would have been either standing room only, or would have had very steep wooden benches. Some groups were banned altogether from the Colosseum, notably gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.
The Colosseum today-
The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for citizens of the European Union is partially subsidized, and entrance is free for European Union citizens under eighteen or over sixty-five years of age. There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.
The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI led the Stations of the Cross called the Scriptural Way of the Cross (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum on Good Friday.
The Colosseum is today is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration program carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire.
Because of the ruined state of the interior, it is impractical to use the Colosseum to host large events; only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated in temporary seating. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2002), Paul McCartney (May 2003), Elton John (September 2005),and Billy Joel (July 2006).